Yuba City man, Grass Valley woman among those killed in Cascade Fire

Stanley A. Coolidge, Jr., 78, a former Yuba-Sutter attorney for 40 years, and his fiancée, Roseann Marie Hannah, 53, of Grass Valley, were two of the four people killed in the Cascade Fire in Loma Rica, according to a press release from the family.

Born in San Francisco, Coolidge was a 50-year resident of Loma Rica. He was a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley – earning both his Bachelor’s and Law degrees. He was a former Yuba County Sheriff’s reserve Officer during the early 70s and his partner, Don Brown, was killed in the line of duty in the foothills in 1974.

Coolidge also served on the Beckworth Frontier Days committee and played Judge Roy Bean in reenactment events which took place during the celebration. He was a member of the Yuba-Sutter Bar Association, the Yuba City Noon Rotary Club and was a former national officer in the Americans Motorcycle Club which is active throughout the United States and raises funds for Children’s Cancer. Coolidge enjoyed staging puppet shows through the club for young children and sometimes did so for sick children as well.

Among his most noted litigation as an attorney was representing Yuba City High School Choir bus crash victims following the 1976 accident. He, and former law partner, Lyle Gisi, also represented victims of the 1987 Linda flood.

Coolidge was the father of Stephen Coolidge, who preceded him in death; Karen Lockhart, of Yuba City; and Andrew Coolidge, of Chico; and was the grandfather of ten grandchildren. He was married to Connie Coolidge for over 25 years before the couple separated in 1997.

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More than anything in the world Coolidge loved to ride his Harley Davidson Motorcycle. He was very active in the American Motorcycle Club and owned a Harley-Davidson.

While last details of the couple are unknown, it was evident through limited family conversations with the couple prior to their deaths, that the fire came upon the home almost instantly and engulfed the entire residency while they were still inside.

The remains of Coolidge and Hannah were recovered onsite by the Chico State Anthropology Department Team and Yuba County Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department listed the couple as confirmed fire fatalities on Oct. 18, nine days after the Oct. 9 blaze.

A joint service for the couple will be held on Friday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. at the Veteran’s Memorial Hall in Yuba City. Donations, in lieu of flowers, are asked to be given to the Americans Motorcycle Club and can be mailed to PO Box 1834, Yuba City, CA 95992.

This article was originally published by the Marysville Appeal-Democrat.